The Arrowverse Wasn’t Afraid to Show Love to the MCU (& This Moment Proves It)

Marvel and DC are two sides of the same coin. They both make their living by telling superhero stories where the forces of good take on the forces of evil. It’s a formula that has been working for nearly a century, but things can get stale from time to time. To combat that, in the past, Marvel and DC would pull out the big guns and publish a crossover that brought characters from both companies together for an epic event. Those don’t happen all that often anymore, and the success of comic book movies and TV shows probably has something to do with that. At least the Arrowverse didn’t forget how to show appreciation for the competition.

Running on The CW from 2012 to 2023, the Arrowverse was on the air during the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s heyday. They weren’t fighting to drink from the same well, though, because, at the time, Marvel Studios wasn’t obsessed with releasing TV shows. With that being the case, one Arrowverse crossover found time to give a major shout-out to the MCU that proved the two could co-exist.

The Arrowverse Borrowed a Page From Avengers: Age of Ultron‘s Playbook

Rather than trying to crossover with any Marvel TV shows, the Arrowverse liked to keep its events in-house. The franchise’s first major crossover, “Flash vs. Arrow,” sees Oliver Queen and Barry Allen team up to take on a couple of villains. They have different views on crime-fighting, which puts them at odds, but they work through them and save their cities. “Flash vs. Arrow” was such a success that the Arrowverse ran it back the next year with “Heroes Join Forces,” which brought even more characters into the fold.

The premise of the crossover is that Vandal Savage is gunning for a woman, Kendra Saunders, who is unaware she is the reincarnation of an Egyptian priestess. Team Flash catches wind of his scheme and asks Team Arrow for help. After meeting Carter Hall, another reincarnated Egyptian, the group decides to set up shop in Central City. The only way to avoid detection, though, is to head to a remote location. They choose a farmhouse, and when they arrive, Thea Queen says, “A bunch of superheroes in a farmhouse? I feel like I’ve seen that in a movie before.” Of course, she’s referencing the events of Age of Ultron, where the Avengers also find themselves in need of a place to lay low.

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The Arrowverse Broke a Character So Bad That James Gunn Had to Reinvent Them

The titular villain in the second Avengers movie plants his flag all over the worldwide web, which gives him an advantage over the heroes. The Avengers head to Hawkeye’s home to regroup and talk about their problems, and when it’s finally time, they head to Sokovia and teach Ultron a lesson. A similar thing happens in “Heroes Join Forces” because there’s quite a bit of tension between different characters, which throws them off their game. Savage even kills most of them at one point, but the Flash is able to go back in time to give him and his allies another chance. They survive the second go-around, defeat Savage, and go on to make more references to the MCU in later episodes.

The “Heroes Join Forces” MCU Reference Isn’t the Arrowverse’s Only One

The crossover that followed “Heroes Join Forces” was the “Invasion!” event. Evil aliens known as Dominators make their way to Earth, forcing the Arrowverse’s heroes to unite again. Having little experience with aliens, the Flash recruits the only one he knows, Supergirl. Her powers are too much for the Dominators to handle, and after the enemy is gone, all the heroes get together to celebrate. Supergirl is especially proud of her friends, so she refers to Green Arrow and the Flash as “Earth’s mightiest heroes,” a nickname for the Avengers in the MCU.

There are a few other notable instances of MCU Easter eggs popping up in Arrowverse episodes, but none are as impactful as the crossover ones. They prove that, despite never receiving any love in return, the Arrowverse was always proud to be talked about in the same breath as the biggest superhero franchise in the world.

The Arrowverse shows are streaming on Netflix.

Did you catch the reference to Avengers: Age of Ultron in the Arrowverse when it aired? What is your favorite Marvel Easter egg in the Arrowverse? Let us know in the comments below!